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JANUARY 8, 1852. H' 



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H. IHCIHTON, PRINTER, I'ORII.AM), MF.. 



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AN 



ADDRESS 



DELIVERED KV 



HON. MARSHALL CRAM, 



DEDICATION OF THE 



TOWN HOUSE IN BRIDGTON, ^^, 



JANUARy 8, 1852. 



WITH AN APPENDIX, 



PORTLAND: 
BROWN THURSTON, PRINTER 

18 5 2. 




1 



At tlic annual Town Meeting of the Town of Bridgton, held March 16, 1S52, 

Voted, That Nathaniel Pease, Rexsellaer Cram, and Nathaniel S. 
LiTTLEFiELD, be a Committee to procure the Printing of twelve hundred copies of 
the Address, delivered by Hon. Marshall Cram, on the 8th of January last, on the 
occasion of the Dedication of the Town House, erected in this town the past yean 
with an appendix, containing the proceedings of the meeting held in said House, on 
said occasion. — The expense of said printing to be paid out of the Town Treasury; 
and that said Committee be directed to deliver fifty copies of said publication to 
the author of said Address ; and to cause to be delivered to the head of each family 
and every legal voter who is not the head of a family, in town, one copy of said 
publication ; and that the remaining copies be disposed of as said Committee think 
proper, the proceeds of such remaining copies to be refunded to the Treasury 

[Copy from the records.] 

Attest : SAMUEL ANDREWS, 2d, Town Clerk. 



Bridgton, April 2, 1852. 

Sir: 

At the Annual Meeting of the Inhabitants of this town, held on the IGth uU., 
the undersigned were appointed a Committee to procure the Publication of the Ad- 
dress delivered by you, on the occasion of the Dedication of the new Town House, 
on the 8th day of January last. To enable us to perfonn the duty required of us, 
we respectfully request you to furnish us with a copy of said Address, with such 
marginal notes and references as you deem proper to elucidate the subject discussed. 

NATHANIEL PEASE, ) 
Hun. Marshall Cram, Bridgton. KEXSKLLAKR <:KAJI, } Com. 

N. S. LriTLEFU:LD. I 



Bridgton, April 10, 1852. 
Gentlemen : 

Yours of the 2d inst. is received ; and, agreeably to your request, I 
herewith forward to you a copy of the Address delivered by me at the new Town 
House in Bridgton, on the 8th of January last. I take this opportunity to say that 
I am under obligations to many of the citizens of Bridgton, and especially to Dr. 
Theodore Ingalls, for information relative to the historj- of the Town. 

Respectfully Yours, 

JL\R SHALL CRAM. 

To Messrs. Nathaniel Pease, Rensellaer Cram, and N. S. Littlefield, Committee. 



3'& 



J(eM^ /^./fi 




ADDRESS. 



Custom has long since sanctioned the practice- of meeting to- 
gether, to notice Avith appropriate ceremonies the commencement 
and the completion of every important public work. Is there 
a railroad to be constructed ; the ground is first broken in the 
presence of a multitude ; and when completed, the first car that 
rattles over its iron track is greeted with the shouts of the as- 
sembled people. Is a monument to be erected in commemora- 
tion of some great event ; vast numbers assemble, to lay with 
ceremonies adapted to the occasion, the first corner stone ; and 
when the pile has reached its destined height, and received the 
last stone that crowns its apex, the people are again summoned 
to witness and to celebrate its completion. 

Though, perhaps, of less importance, still of the same char- 
acter is the occasion which has called together this assembly. 
The erection of this building, marks an era in the history of this 
town. The present is an occasion on which wo may do well to 
pause, and lift the veil from past events ; — to mark the succes- 
sive achievements of art, from the felling of the first tree and 
the erection of the first log cabin, to the completion of this noble 
structure ; — to trace the progress of improvement from the rude 
customs of a pioneer life, to the high degree of civilization and 



refinement, which characterizes the society of the present time ; 
to study the history of the past, and draw thence lessons of 
instruction for the future. 

Looking back but ninety short years — reverting to the period 
• of 1761, we see here but one unbroken forest ; its peaceful lakes 
slumbering quietly beneath the shadows of the tall pines Avhich 
line their borders ; their existence scarcely known to the white 
man, and their waters rippled only by the light canoe ; a moody 
silence resting over the whole scene, broken only by the stately 
tread of the Indian, or the wild howling of the beasts of prey. 
From the contemplation of this scene, we pass to a consideration 
of the changes wliich have been wrought by the hand of civil- 
ized man. 

In the year 1736, Capt. John Tyler and fifty-six others, offi- 
cers and soldiers in the " Canada Expedition in 1690," obtained 
from the Legislature of Massachusetts, in consideration of mili- 
tary services rendered in that expedition, a grant* of a tract of 
land, six miles square, called Rowley Canada — which was then 
supposed to lie Avithin the Province of ^Massachusetts ; but upon 
tlie establishment of tlie line, it was found that nearly the whole 
of that tract fell within the limits of New Hampshire ; conse- 
quently, the title derived from Massachusetts proved invalid. 

To remedy this defect, in the year 1761, on the petition of 
Benjamin jNIuUikin, jSIoody Bridges, and Thomas Perley, agents 
for the proprietors, the Legislature of Massachusetts passed a 
Resolve, granting to the legal representatives or assigns of the 
original grantees, in lieu of the tract called Rowley Canada, a 
township of the contents of seven miles square, in the unappro- 
priated land belonging to the Province of jSIassachusetts ; Pro- 
vided that the grantees locate the said township to the eastward 
of Saco River, adjoining some other tract already located ; and 
return a plan thereof into the secretary's office, within twelve 

* The gi-ant to John Tyler and others, was made February 8, 1736. 



months, for confirmation ; and, provided also, that within six 
years they settle thirty families in said township ; build a house 
for public worship ; settle a learned Protestant minister ; and 
lay out one sixty-fourth part of the township for the use of the 
first settled minister ; one other sixty-fourth part for the support 
of the ministry, and one other sixty-fourth part for the use of 
Harvard College.* 

Pursuant to this grant, Messrs. Mullikin, Bridges and Perley 
proceeded to lay out a toAvnship on the easterly side of the Saco 
river, adjoining Col. Joseph Frye's township, then called Pick- 
Avockett, now the town of Fryeburg ; extending nine miles in 
length, by six and a half miles in Avidth ; containing fifty-eight 
and a half square miles, or 37,440 acres ; and presenting a plan 
of the same to the Legislature, they obtained a confirmation 
thereof, on the 25th day of June, 1765 : but with the additional 
proviso, that instead of thirty families, they should be required 
to settle eighty-two families in the township, within the time 
specified in their grant. 

Having obtained a confirmation of their grant, the proprietors 
employed Solomon Wood, of Boxford, IMass., to run out all that 
part of the township, lying Avest of Long Pond, into lots of half 
a mile m length, and one hundred rods in width, containing one 



* Several of the original grantees settled on the tract called Rowley Canada, 
■which now constitutes the town of Rindge, in Cheshire County, New Hampshire ; 
and some of their descendants may be found among the present inhabitants of that 
town. The followinsr are the names of the original grantees : 



Capt. John Tyler, 
Benjamin Aliillikin. 
James Bridges, 
Nathan Symonds, 
James Chandler, 
James Stuart, 
Samuel Goodridge, 
Tliomas Wood, 
John Abbot, 
Josiah In^alls, 
Joshua Jackson, 
Samuel Dickinson, 
William IJennett, 
Joseph Nelson, 
John Martin, 
John Holmes, 
AA'illiam Knowlton, 
James liayley, 
David Kimball, 



Joseph Hidden, 
ftloses Burn am, 
John Platts, 
Nathaniel Jewett, 
Jolin Jewett, Jr., 
Benjamin Bellows, 
Capt. Joshua Swan, 
Josepli Hale, 
Stephen Person, 
AA'illiam Martin, 
Ricliard Perl, 
Jonathan Crosbe, 
Jonathan Jewett, 
Nathaniel Fellows, 
John Brocklebank, 
James Platts, Jr., 
Thomas Carieton, 
Benjamin Duch, 
Anthony Dike, 



Amos Pilsbury, 
Stephen Peabody, 
Ezekiel Mighel, 
Jeremiah Jewett, 
Thomas Poor, 
Samuel Austin, 
Abraham Brown, 
John Page, 
Joseph Coffin, 
Tliomas Plumer, 
Thomas AA'ebster, 
Aar(ui Dresser, 
Ephraim AA'etlierby, 
Elisha Davis, 
Daniel Potter, 
Moses Platts, 
John Penny, 
Ephraim Nelson, 
Micha;! Ilopkiiison, 



6 

hundred acres each. ]\Ir. Wood, with five assistants, named 
►Stevens, Stacy, Adams, Parker, and Field, commenced this 
work on the eighth of September, and completed it on the six- 
teenth of October, 17G6. He was accompanied by, and acted 
under the direction of, a committee of the proprietors : consisting 
of ]Moody Bridges, Richard Pcabody, and Col. Thomas Poor. 
Several of the range lines were run by Mr. Bridges. 

The township was held in eighty-six equal undivided parts, or 
shares, called rights. Sixty-one of these rights were held by 
individual proprietors ; one right was set apart for the support 
of the ministry ; one for the first settled minister ; one for Har- 
vard CoUege ; one for the support of schools ; one for the first 
settler in the township ; and the remaining twenty rights were 
held by all the proprietors as a community. 

These rights were numbered from one to eighty-six ; and the 
number of the right which each claimant should hold, was de- 
termined by lot. It was also determined in the same manner, 
what particular lots (generally three in number) should be as- 
signed to each right. That part of the township Ij'ing on the 
easterly side of Long Pond, which now forms a part of the towns 
of Harrison and Naples, still remained undivided, and was held 
by all the proprietors in common. 

After these preliminary arrangements, the first object of the 
proprietors was to clear away the forest ; to introduce the arts 
of civilization, and to prepare here a suitable abode for man. 
As an encouragement to settlers, they proposed to give one hun- 
dred acres of the common land, lying east of Long Pond, to 
each settler, Avho should have twelve acres of land cleared, a 
house built, and a family settled in the township, by the year 
1771. 

In 1767, the proprietors gave their township the name of 
Bridgton, in honor of Moody Bridges, who was one of the pro- 
prietors and a son of James Bridges, one of the origmal grant- 
ees. Prior to this time, it had been, known by the name of 



Pondichcny, Avliich -was a name originally applied to a tract of 
country, lying between Long Pond on the east and Pleasant 
Mountain on the west, commencing a little south of the southerly 
line of Bridgton, and extending northerly, including the Han- 
cock Ponds, Peabody Pond, Ingalls Pond, Holt's Pond, Adams 
Pond, Wood's Pond, Otter Pond, Beaver Pond, Moose Pond, 
Crotched Pond, Steams' Pond, and the Keser Ponds. It 
received its name on account of the numerous ponds embraced 
within its limits, and the abundance of wild cherries which it 
produced. The proprietors, in making their location, commenced 
upon this tract, and for the time being applied its name to their 
township, although it extended eastward considerably beyond 
the limits of the tract originally known by that name. The 
name is of Indian origin, but it has probably been somewhat 
anglicized ; and what similarity of sound there may have been 
between the original Indian term and the word Pondicherry, 
cannot now be ascertained. /" 

In the same year, 1767, the proprietors cleared a road from 
Bridgton to Person Towni, now Standish, passing through what 
^vas then called Flint's Town, and now constitutes the towns of 
Baldwin and Sebago. We shall err, however, if we regard this 
operation as any thing hke the making of a road at the present 
time. It was merely clearing a track through the wilderness, 
sufficiently to pass through on horseback, or to drive their cattle 
through unyoked. Even as late as 1790, there was no road 
leading in that direction which was passable for any loaded wheel 
carriage. The only means of transporting articles of any con- 
siderable weight, or bulk, during the summer season, was by 
■water, by the way of Sebago Pond, Songo River and Long Pond. 

In 1768, the proprietors entered into an agreement with Capt. 
Benjamin Kimball, by which, in consideration of one right* of 

* Eight No. 61, consisted of lot No. 4, range 6, and lots Nos. 10 and 11, range 7, in 
the first Division, and No. 29, range 2, la the second Division. The present Villaga 
of North Bridgton, stands on lot No. 11, in the 7th range. 



/ tjA^cK-cLjuL< 



8 

land, he bound himself to settle in the townsliip by the tenth day 
of June of that year ; to build a convenient house, for the en- 
tertainment of the proprietors and others, by the tenth day of 
September of the same year ; to keep a store of goods, to be 
retailed out at a reasonable advance ; and also to hold himself 
in readiness with a convenient boat of two tons burthen, rigged 
Avith a convenient sail, to convey passengers and freight from 
Person ToAvn to the head of Long Pond ; and from the head of 
Long Pond to Person Town, " back and forth," whenever called 
upon to do so by the proprietors, for the term of six years. For 
tliis service, he was to receive a compensation of six shiUings per 
day for himself, five shillings per da^ for an assistant, and two 
shillings and sixpence per trip for his boat. 

These conditions are embodied in the deed conveying to Capt. 
Kimball the sixty-first right of land ; which was probably the 
first conveyance ever made by the proprietors. It bears date, 
" The Sixth Day of April, in the eighth Year of the Reign of 
Sovereign Lord George the third, of Great Britain, France and 
Ireland, King, &c., Annoque Domini one Thousand Seven Hun- 
dred and Sixty-eight." 

The same year, 1768, they contracted with Mr. Jacob Stevens 
to build a saw-mill — to have it ready for operation in October 
of that year — to keep the same in repair for the term of fifteen 
years ; and to saw lumber for the inhabitants at the halves ; — 
also, to build a com-mill — to keep the same in repair for the 
term of twenty years — to give suitable attendance, and to re- 
quire no more than lawful toll. In consideration of which, he 
was to receive from the proprietors, one right and one lot* of 
land, a tax of three dollars upon each taxable right in the town- 
ship, amounting to $243 ; — also, five acres of land on the 
stream running from Crotched Pond to Long Pond, in the most 
suitable place for the erection of the mills ; — also, the pri\dlege 

* Lot No. 8, range 15 ; also the 83d right, consisting of lots No. 10, range 9, No. 
11, range 5, and No. 7, range 19, in the 1st Div., and No. 5, range 2, in the 2d Div. 



9 

of building a dam at the outlet of Crotched Pond, and the sole 
privilege of the stream, so long as he should be required to keep 
the mills, or either of them, in repair; — »he paying them, in 
lawful money, the sum of .£3. 11. 8. 

These INIills were the first erected in l^ridgton ; and were 
built on the stream now known as Stevens' Brook. They were 
placed near the mouth of the stream, that they might be easy 
of access from the Pond; which, for want of roads, was then 
the 'principal thoroughfare for travel and transportation. 

Owing to unforseen obstacles, the settlement did not advance 
so rapidly as was anticipated ; and in 1772, the proprietors ex- 
tended the time within which the settlers might avail themselves 
of the right to a lot of land, to the last day of July, 1773 ; and 
modified the conditions so as to require a clearing of only six 
acres of land, instead of twelve. They also added a proviso, 
that, in case of the occurrence of an Indian war, the time should 
be still further extended. Again, in 1773, they gave a further 
extension till the 25th day of December, 1774, upon the same 
conditions. 

In 1777,* the proprietors moved their records to Bridgton, 
and passed a vote that their meetings, which, prior to that time 
had been held at Andover and Boxford, in Massachusetts, should 
thereafter be held in Bridgton. At the same time, they ap- 
pointed Enoch Perley, Proprietor's Clerk, who contmued to per- 
form the duties of that office till the year 180G, when, having 
disposed of all the property which they held in a corporate ca* 
pacity, they, as an organized body, ceased to exist. 

It may be necessary here to state that, from this time forward, 
the proprietors were nearly identical with the inhabitants ; though 
the proprietors were not all inhabitants, yet nearly all the in- 
habitants were proprietors ; and any public act of the proprie- 

* Prior to 1777, the Proprietors' Records were kept at Andover, Mass., and Moody 
Bridges acted as Proprietors' Clerk. 

2 



10 

tors, subsequent to the removal of the records to Bridgton, may 
be regarded as an act of the inhabitants of the place. 

On the night of the 2d of October, 1780, the dwelling house 
of Enoch Perley was consumed by fire ; * and all the records 
of the past proceedings of the proprietors were destroyed. — 
I^ortunatcly, however, the Field-notes of the surveyor who laid 
out the township, and the tickets by which the lots were drawn, 
were preserved. From these, and from memory, a committee 
appointed for the purpose, made up a new record of the most 
important transactions ; and procured a confirmation thereof, by 
the Legislature of Massachusetts, in 1783. Thus the loss was 
repaired so far as to secure the pecuniary rights and interests of 
the proprietors, and inhabitants of the toAvn ; but no doubt the 
knowledge of many facts in the history of the early settlers, 
•which would be of interest at the present time, was lost, never 
to be recovered. 

In June, 1782, a committee. of the proprietors, appointed fof 
the purpose of inquiring into the progress made by the settlers, 
in clearing land, erecting buildings, &c., reported that David 
Kneeland, William Emerson, Asael Foster, Richard Peabody, 
Stephen Gates, James Flint, David Clark and Timothy Gates, 
had so far fulfilled the requirements of the proprietors, as to 
merit one lot each ; and that Benjamin Kimball and Jacob Ste- 
vens, merited two lots each. This report was accepted by the 
proprietors, and at a later period, they granted to Moody Bridges 
and Stephen Johnson one lot each, in consideration of their 
having made early settlements in the township — making fourteen 
lots, which the proprietors adjudged to have been merited,! ^^^ 
which, these individuals were permitted to locate adjoining the 
water, on the easterly side of Long Pond ; and hence, the water 

* The house burnt, was the second house built by Esq. Perley. The first is still 
standing on the old homestead, and is used as a tool shop. It is the house in which 
Gen. John Perley Avas born; and is believed to be the oldest building now standing 
in the town. 

t The fourteen Merited Lots were run out by Benjamin Kimball, Jr., in 1793. 



11 

lots on that side of the Pond, numbered from one to fourteen, 
have since been designated as merited lots. 

At the same time, June, 1782, arrangements were made for 
building a saw-mill, for the use of the inhabitants, on the stream 
leading from Wood's Pond to Long Pond. The mill was to be 
built at the public expense ; and Robert Andrews, Enoch Per- 
ley, and Isaiah Ingalls, were appointed a Committee to superin- 
tend the building. The site selected for this mill,* was the 
same that is now occupied by Mr. Chaplin's mill, in the village 
known by the name of PinhooJc. 

The same year, the proprietors entered into a contract with 
Mr. Jesse Knapp, by which they agreed to give him fifty acres 
of land — "To build him the frame of a house, 17 feet wide 
and 30 long, one story high, and board the same, he finding 
nails — also a shop, sufficient for one forge, and board the same, 
he finding nails ; and dig a cellar under one room of the house," 
in consideration of his settling in the township ; and performing 
all the blacksmith work that might be wanted by the inhabitants 
for the term of seven years ; — he receiving from the inhabitants 
reasonable pay for his work. The house and shop were erectedf 
near the present site of the Willet house, now owned by Dr. 
Pease, and were occupied by Mr. Knapp, in the Fall of 1782. 

In September, 1785, the public saw-mill, then nearly complet- 
ed, was swept away by a freshet. It was rebuilt, however, and 
ready for operation in 1786. James FUnt, Phineas Ingalls, and 
William Emerson, were appointed to take charge of the mill, 
and manage it as they should judge most for the public advantage. 
This arrangement, however, in its practical operation, seems 
not to have been satisfactory to the inhabitants ; and in May, 
1787, the mill was sold at public auction, to Mr. Javan Knapp, 
for the sum of fifty pounds — to be paid one half in cash, wheat, 
com, rye, peas, wliite beans, or any kind of stock, at the market 

* On Lot No. 5, range 18. t On Lot No. 7, range 15. 



12 

price, and the other half in boards at 18 shillings per thousand, 
' — the purchaser binding himself to saw lumber for the inhabi- 
tants, and to receive the same kinds of articles for pay. 

Although, by the terms of their grant, the proprietors were 
required to settle a learned Protestant minister, within sLx years 
from its date ; yet, down to this time, owing to a want of means 
for his support, they had not been able to comply with this 
requirement. They had, however, almost from the commence- 
ment of the settlement, employed a preacher some part of each 
year, generally from three to five or six months.* 

In 1788, the proprietors agreed to unite with the Church, in 
settling the Rev. Nathan Church in the ministiy, and proposed 
to give him the 2d right of landf which had been set apart for 
the first settled minister ; — to give him ,£60, to be paid in labor 
or materials for building a house, within one year, and <£15 in 
cash, to be paid within three months from the time of his settle- 
ment, and to pay him a salary of £45 for the first year, to be 
increased by the addition of .£3 each year till it should amount 
to £15; and thereafter a permanent salary of ,£75 per year, 
during his continuance in the ministry in this place — to be paid 
one-fifth part in cash, and the remainder in beef, pork, corn, rye, 
or labor ; he having the right to choose what articles he would 
take, but not to receive more than one-third part of the sum in 
any one article. They also proposed to furnish him with twenty- 
five cords of wood, annually, delivered at his door. 

These proposals were accepted by Mr. Church, and he be« 
came the first settled minister in Bi'idgton, in the year 1789. 
Agreeably to this contract, he Avas supported by the proprietors 
till the tOAvn was incorporated, 1794, when, at the request of the 
proprietors, the inhabitants of the town voted to receive the 
Rev. Mr. Church as their minister ; and to take upon themselves 

* Rev. Mr. Everett and Rev. Mr. Thompson were the Preachers employed beforo 
the settlement of Mr. Church. 

t The 2d Right consisted of lot G, range 15, and lots 3 and 4, range 29, in the first 
Division, and lot Ko. 4, range 1, in the 2d Division. 



13 

the same obligations that the proprietors were then under, mth 
regard to the payment of his annual salary. 

In 1?90, the proprietors voted to build a meeting house, and 
assessed a tax of three shillings and six pence on each taxable 
lot, to defray in part the expense of the building.* John Pea.- 
body, Daniel Brigham and Phineas Ingalls were appointed a 
building committee, and instructed to sell the ground for the pews 
to individuals, at not less than ten dollars for any one pew — the 
proceeds of the sales to be applied to the building of the house. 
The purchasers were required to build their own pews, which 
were to be built in uniform style. The house was built on one 
of the ministerial lots, No. 6, in the 15th range, and was first 
occupied, though unfinished, in October, 1791. 

In 1792, the proprietors voted to add a porch to the front of 
the meeting house ; and to lay out ten acres of the ministerial 
land for a burymg ground and training field. This ground was 
laid out adjoining the meeting-house, extending twenty rods north 
and south, and twenty-four rods east and west, from the centre 
of the house : that part of it lying on the easterly side of the 
house was used for the burying ground, and that on the westerly 
gide for the training field. 

These men may seem to have acted inconsistently, in thus 
appropriating a portion of the land which had been assigned for 
the support of the ministry ; but allowance should be made for 
the time when and the circumstances under which they acted. 
They had just passed through the bloody struggle, which resulted 
in the achievement of liberty and national independence. Many 
of them had worn their country's livery, and were fresh from 
the scenes of the camp and the battle field ; and it is not strange, 
that to men educated as they had been, it should seem perfectly, 
consistent that the religion of the Prince of Peace should go 
hand in hand with the practice of the arts of war ; or, that the 

* The meetiiijg house was 35 feet wide aJ^d 45 fest long, and two stories high, witb 

galleries. 



14 

means whicli had been set apart for the propagation of the one 
should thus serve to facilitate a preparation for the other. Sub- 
sequently, this action of the proprietors was in part reversed by 
the town — the burying ground was reduced to the size of two 
acres ; and the training field, excepting a sufficient width for a 
road, was sold, together with the rest of the ministerial lands. 

At a still later period, a part of the training field was re-pur- 
chased by the town^ and still remains a common at the west end 
of the old meeting house. It was for many years the scene of 
much truly patriotic military display ; and is closely associated 
with the military spirit of those early times. Even at tliis late 
day, as we pass that spot, we can almost hear the rattling of the 
drum, and the wild screaming of the fife ; and we can almost 
see the military heroes of those times, at the head of their re- 
spective companies, wielding the sword and giving the word of 
command. 

In 1793, that part of the township lying north* and east of 
Long Pond, was laid out by Benjamin Kimball, Jr., into ninety 
lots of about ninety acres each, and was called the Second Di- 
vision. Four of the poorest of these lots were set aside as blank 
lots ; and of the remaining eighty-six, one was drawn to the 
holder of each of the eighty-six different rights. For perform- 
ing this service, Mr. Kimball received fifty acres of the land, 
which he selected at the outlet of Anonymous Pond — the site 
of the present village of Harrison. 

Having thus noticed some of the events in the history of the 
plantation, from the commencement of its settlement down to 

* That part of the towqship lying north of J^ong Pond, was first htled by Mr, 
Wood, who, when he laid out the westerly part, extended the first five ranges of lots 
quite across to the easterly line of the town. Only three lots lying eastwardly of 
the lots numbered 11, in the first five ranges, had been disposed of by the proprietors 
at the time when Mr. Kimball laid out the easterly part of the town ; and he lotled 
over all that part of those five ranges lying east of the lots numbered 11, except the 
three lots which had been disposed of, and included it in the Second Division. — 
This accounts, in sojue measure, for Hie irregular manner in wWch that part of the 
town is laid out. 



15 



the time of its incorporation as a town, let us turn back and in- 
quire who and what were the men who first sought a home in 
this then inliospitable region — who led the way in subduino- the 
wilderness, turning it it into a fruitful field, and laying a founda- 
tion for the prosperity and happiness which we now enjoy, j 

The first settlement in the township was made by Capt. Ber. 
jamin Kimball, who came from Ipswich, Mass., in the spring of 
1768, and located at the head of Long Pond, on the site of the 
present village of North Bridgton. The cellar of his house, 
which stood at some distance from the Pond, may still be seen 
a few rods north-west from the three-story brick house built by 
Mr. Andrews. Mr. Kimball kept a public house, for the ac- 
commodation of the proprietors, immigrants, and such travelers 
as might chance to stray so far into the wilderness ; and agree- 
ably to his contract, he run a boat from the head of Long Pond 
to the foot of Scbago Pond, for the conveyance of freight and 
passengers. Mr. Kimball had been a sea captain, and waS 
selected by the proprietors to occupy this position, partly with 
reference to his qualifications for navigating these ponds. He 
kept a store of goods, and for several years carried on consider- 
able trade with the Indians ; but, during the latter part of his 
life, he was prevented from pursuing any active business by a 
stroke of paralysis, which deprived him of the use of his limbS* 
He died in 1802, at the age of 68. Capt. Kimball was the 
father of Benjamin Kimball, Jr., who settled on the farm now 
owned by Simeon C. Walker, and became one of the prominent 
citizens of the town. He was a practical land surveyor, and 
lotted out that part of the town known as the Second Division. 

The first male child bom in Bridgton, was the son of an un- 
married daughter of Capt. Kimball, who was bom June 8th, 
1772, and took the name of his reputed father, Moses Hale. 
He afterwards preferred a claim to one hundred acres of land, 
which the proprietors had proposed to give to the first male child 
that should be bora in the town. His claim was several times 



16 

rejected, by Vote of the proprietors, on account of hiS illegiti- 
macy; but, finally, in 1793, they voted to give him a lot,* on 
condition that he should improve the same, either by himself or 
his assigns, for the term of ten years. 

The second settler was Jacob Stevens, from Andover, Mass.^ 
•who came to Bridgton in 1768, and settled near the mouth of 
Stevens' Brook,f where he and his sons built a camp and lived 
gome nine years -without any female associates— his wife being 
detained at Andover, on account of an aged mother. In 1 777, his 
daughter EliTiabeth, now the widow of Deacon Phineas Ingalls, 
then only tliirteen years of age, came to Bridgton and kept her 
father's house. Mr. Stevens Avas the father of a numerous 
family, and many of his descendants may be found among the 
inhabitants of Bridgton at the present time. lie died in No- 
vember, 1802, at the age of 77. The farm on which Mr. Ste- 
vens first settled, is now owied and occupied by Nathaniel 
Martin, who married a grand-daughter of Mr. Stevens. 

Stephen Gates, from Andover, came to Bridgton about the 
same time with Capt. Kimball. He was an active and enter- 
prising man, and was very efficient in advancing the settlement 
of the place. He felled the first trees, and assisted Capt. Kim- 
ball in making the first clearing in the town, which was made 
at the head of Long Pond. "He afterwards settled on the place 
where Ithamer Brigham now lives, | where he remained till about 
1790, when he sold out to Capt. Jacob Hazcn. He afterwards 
emigrated to Ohio. 

Timothy Gates, brother to Stephen, who came to Bridgton 
about the same time, was a very different man.§ He was 
one of those men who are fitted only for the woods — loving a 

* The Lot given to Moses Hale, was Ko. 13, in the 1st range — being the same on 

tvhich Henry Carter now lives. 

t On Loi No. 8, in the 15th range. J Lot No. 9, range 7. 

§ Timothy Gates occupied the lot now owned and occupied by George Wood- 
bury, being No. 7, Range IG. 



17 

border residence for its privilege of hunting and fishing ; and 
its freedom from all the formalities and restraints of civilized 
life. He served in the army of the Revolution, and was usually 
called Serjeant Gates. After the war he remained in Bridgton 
till about 1795, when he removed to Oliio. 

In 1769, David Kneeland from Topsfield, settled on the lot 
where Aaron Brigham now lives ;* where he remained till 1787, 
when he sold out to Asa Kimball, and moved to Otisfield. Mr. 
Kimball built on this place a rope-walk some 300 feet in length, 
and carried on the business of manufacturing twine and cordage 
to considerable extent for several years. He also built a saw- 
mill, on Stevens' Brook, at the upper privilege, where Mr. 
Walker's mill now stands. This mill was built in 1788, at the 
expiration of the time for which the sole privilege of the stream 
was granted to Mr. Stevens. 

David Clark, came from Topsfield in 1770 ; and commenced a 
clearing on the place where Ebenezer Carsley now lives. f At 
the commencement of the Revolution, he entered the army, and 
served through the whole of the revolutionary war ; at the close 
of which he returned to his farm in Bridgton, where he spent 
the remainder of his life. He died in March, 1831, at the age 
of 83 years. 

Enoch Stiles, from Andover, came to Bridgton in 1771, and 
settled on the place now owned and occupied by his son Davis 
Stiles, where he spent a long quiet and useful life. He died in 
1831, at the age of 87. Noah Stiles a twin brother of Enoch 
came at the same time and settled where Joseph Brown now 
lives, ^ where he remained till about the year 1800, when he sold 
out and moved to Otisfield. 

Early in 1772, William Emerson from Methuen, came to 
Bridgton, and first settled on the lot where IVlial Merrill now 

* Lot No. 9, range 5. Oa this lot were raised the first apples ihat were raised in 
Bridgton. 
t Lot No. 9, Range 4. 

t Enoch and Noah Stiles, both settled on one Lot, No. 9, Range 6. 
3 



18 

lives ;* but after about six years, he moved to the place now 
occupied by Jonathan Seavey, in the swamp neighborhood ;f 
where he resided until his death. Mr. Emerson was by nature 
singularly fitted to aid in the settlement of a new country : he 
had a strong constitution, and great powers of endurance, cheer- 
ful spirits, and a kind heart. Probably no other individual by 
his own personal exertions did so much to relieve the hardships, 
and to promote the comfort of the early settlers, as Mr. Emer- 
son. He was one of those men, Avho think the hardest is ever 
meant for them. If the little settlement was threatened with a 
famine, William Emerson was the man, if in winter, to rig his 
sap-sled, or if in summer to shoulder his pack, and away to 
Standish or to Pickwockett, and procure the needed supply, or 
if a poor family had reached Standish, and needed the aid of a 
strong arm, and a bold spirit in crossing the extensive ponds, or 
in traversing the wilderness to the new settlement, Mr. Emerson 
was the ever ready volunteer for this arduous service ; and having 
conducted his charge safely into the settlement, his aid and his 
efforts in their behalf ceased only when they were no longer 
needed. Mr. Emerson had the satisfaction of living to see the 
little settlement which in its infancy he had nourished, and kept 
alive at the expense of so much labor and hardship to himself, 
become a large and flourishing town. He died in 1827, at the 
age of 79. J , 

The same year, 1772, Asael Foster came from Danvers, and 
first settled in the place Avhich has since received the fowl name of 
Hens-borough.^ He built the first framed house in Bridgton, 
and his wife was the first married woman, that settled in the 
town. Their son Asael Foster 2d,|| was the first legitimate male 



* Lot No. 6, Range 17. 
t Lot No. 4, Range 16. 

\ Mr. Emerson had in all 13 children, 6 sons and 7 daughters. Many of his de- 
scendents still reside in Bridgton ; but none of them bear the name of Emerson. 
§ Lot No 4, Range 19. 
II Asael Foster 2d., was bom Oct. 4 1773. 



19 



child born in Bridgton. He was the unsuccessful competitor of 
Moses Hale, for the premium of one hundred acres of land, 
which had been offered to the first male child that should be 
born in the town.* Mr. Foster found his location to be an un- 
favorable one, on account of the poverty and stirility of the soil, 
and after a few years of unsuccessful effort here, he removed to 
the south part of the town, and settled on the place now occu- 
pied by his two sons, Francis and Moody, where he spent the 
remainder of a long and useful life. He died in Feb., 1820, 
from the kick of a horse, at the age of 71. 

In 1774, Reuben Burnham, fi-om Bolton, Mass., settled on 
the place recently owned by Joshua Dennett, near the centre 
village. f Mr. Burnham, was the first deacon of the congrega- 
tional church. He was killed in 1785, in the woods, a little dis- 
tance north of the "VVillett house, by the fall of a tree. 

The next year 1775, Simeon Burnham from Bolton, located 
on the west side of Crotched Pond, on the place where Ptichard 
Kimball now lives. if After several years he left Bridgton, and 
moved to Orland, in Hancock County. He was the father of 
Nathaniel and Simeon Burnham, now living in this town, and of 
Dr. John Burnham, of Orland. 

About the same time, Stephen Johnson, from xindover, came 
into the place, and located on the easterly side of Wood's Pond, 
in what is now called the swamp neighborhood. § Mr. Johnson Avas 
a famous hunter, and if his own stories might be believed, a 
very successful one, especially of the moose. According to his 
own reports, he was in the habit of catching the large moose, 
and riding them through the forest — using the strings of his 
snow-shoes or the bark of trees, for a bridle ; but as he never 
succeeded in riding them into the scttlem(?nt, his stories were 

* Mr. Foster, h;ui 5 soii^, Joseph, Asael, Benjamin, Francis and Moody ; and 6 
daughters, Lucy, Mary, Joanna, Sarah, Kebecca and Meliitable. 

t Mr. Burnham settled on Lot No. 6, Range 12. 

t Lot No. 6, Range 9. 

§ On Lot No. 4, Range 15. 



20 

not always credited. The town soon became too populous to 
suit his taste, or to favor his pursuits ; and after a few years he 
sold out and left the place. 

Enoch Perley, from Boxford, Mass., came to Bridgton in 
1776, and settled in the south part of the town, on the 
place now owned and occupied by his grandson, John P. Perley.* 
Esq. Perley, as he was almost invariably called, was a man of 
strong native intellect, ready tact, and uncommon sagacity. 
From the time of his first coming to Bridgton, he occupied a 
conspicuous position in the settlement. He held many of the 
most important offices in the toAvn, and was for many years an 
acting magistrate ; and became extensively known as a man of 
intelligence and superior business capacity. He was a strict 
utiUtarian, — whatever his hand touched, was always turned to 
some practical account ; and by extraordinary forecast and 
untiring industry, he accumulated a large estate. He was a man 
of active benevolence, and among other acts of liberality contrib- 
uted thirty-three hundred and fifty five dollars towards establish- 
ing a permanent fund for the support of the ministry in this town. 
Mr. Perley died in 1829, at the age of 80. 

In 1779, David Hale, from Templeton, Mass., settled in the 
south part of the town, on Lot No. 4, in the 22d Kange, where 
he remained till his death, which occurred in 1831, at Avhicli 
time he was 82 years of age. His farm descended to and is 
now owned and occupied by his son Da^Tid Hale,f who is the 
oldest man now living in Bridgton, that was bom in the toAvn. 

Theodore Emerson, from ]\Iethuen, in 1779, settled in the 
swamp neighborhood, on the lot first occupied by Stephen John- 
son, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died in 1832, 
at the age of 75. - 

* Enoch Perley, had 2 sons, John and Thomas, and three daughters, Rebecca, 
Nancy, and Iluldah. John, better known as Gen. Perley, inherited the homestead, 
ivhich he occupied till his death, in 1S41. Thomas, known as Major Perley, settled 
in that part of Bridgton, now part of Naples, and resided there till his death, in 1840. 

f David llale, was born June 7, 17S1. 



21 

Tlie same year Isaiah Ingalls, from Andover, settled in the 
south part of the town, on the place where Rojal Warren now 
lives.* Mr. Ingalls was a practical land surveyor ; and for many 
years spent a large portion of his time in that employment. He 
was for many years an acting magistrate, was the first captain 
of the militia ;f was the first town Clerk, and held many other 
important offices in the town. He died in 1830, at the age of 
75 years. 

Robert Andrews, from Boxford, came to Bridgton, in 1780, 
and located in the south part of the town, near Adams Pond, 

* MB Ingalls located on lot No. 2, range 22. He had 5 sons and three daughters, 
all of whom have either deceased or left the town. 

t The militia was first organized in 1792. Isaiah lugalls was chosen Captain ; 
Robert Andrews, Lieut., and John Killborn, Ensign. The following is a copy of the 
oath taken and subscribed by Lieut. Andrews and Ensign Killborn, to qualify them 
to enter upon the discharge of their official duties : 

" I do truly and sincerely acknowledge, profess, testify and declare, that the 
Common Wealth of JIassachusetts is, and of Right ought to be, a free, sovereign and 
Independant State ; and I do swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the 
said Common AVealth ; and that I will defend the same against the Traitorous con- 
spiracies and all Hostile attempts whatsoever ; and that I do Renounce and abjure all 
Allegiance, Subjection and Obedience to the King, Queen or Government of Great 
Britain, (as the,case may be) and Every other Foreign Power, whatsoever, and that 
no Foreigh Prince, person. Prelate, State or potentate Hath or ought to Have any 
Jurisdiction, superiority, pre-eminence, authority Dispensing or other Power in an}' 
matters Civil, Ecclesiastical or Spiritual within this Common Wealth ; Except the 
authority and Power which is or may be vested by their Constituents in the Con- 
gress of the United States ; and I do further Testify and Declare tiiat no Man or 
Body of Men, hath or can have any Right to absolve or Discharge me from the Ob- 
ligation of this Oath, declaration or affirmation, and that I do make this acknowl- 
edgement, profession, Testimony, Declaration, denial. Renunciation and Abjuration, 
heartily and Truly according to the common meaning and acceptation of the fore- 
going word^^, without any equivocation Mental evasion'or Secret Reservation what- 
soever. So help me God." 

Signed, ROBERT ANDREWS,. 

JOHN KILBORN. 

" I Robert Andrews, do solemnly swear and affirm, that I will Faithfully and 
Impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent on me as a Lieutenant,- 
according to the best of my ability and understanding, agreeable to the Rules and 
Regulations of the Constitution and Laws of the Common Wealth. So help me 
God." Signed, ROBERT ANDREWS. 

An oath of the same form as the last of those above quoted, was also taken and 
subscribed by Ensign Killborn. 



22 

where he built a small camp and commenced clearing a farm ; * 
for several years living entirely alone — doing his own cooking, 
&c. By persevering industry, he became a man of property, 
and was a prominent and worthy citizen of the town. Mr. An- 
drews was proverbially honest, and was ever kind and benevo- 
lent to the poor. He contributed two thousand dollars towards 
establishing a fund for the support of the ministry in the town ; 
and by his will he gave one thousand dollars, to establish 
a fund for the perpetual benefit of the honest and industrious 
poor, for which he will be held in grateful remembrance as long 
as there remains a class of this description of persons to*6hare 
the benefit of his liberality. Lieut. Andrews,! as he was 
generally called, was a soldier of the Revolution ; and fought at the 
battle of Bunker Hill. He died in 1845, at the advanced age of 92. 

The same year, 1780, Daniel Perley, from Boxford, settled 
on the place now owned and occupied by his son Daniel Perley 
the 2d. He was a quiet man, of a philosophical cast of mind, 
and possessed more than ordinary natural capacity. He occu- 
pied the farm on which he first settled, till the year 1835, when 
he died at the age of 82. J 

John Peabody, from Andover,came also in 1780, and located 
in the south part of the town, near Enoch Perley 's.§ He was a 
man of sterling integrity, sound intellect, and quick and ready 
wit. He was for many years one of the principal citizens of 
the town ; and was one of the deacons of the first Congrega- 
tional Church. His wife was a sister of Enoch Perley. They 
were considerably advanced in life, and had several children 
when they came to Bridgton, four of whom died of the throat 
distemper, in the short space of ten days, in the month of Sep- 

* Mr. Andrews built on lot No. 3, range 22. His fann consisted of that lot, and No. 
4, range 23. 

t Lieut. Andrews, was a bachelor. At his decease, his estate was divided by 
will, among a large circle of distant relatives. 

X Mr. Terlej' built on lot No. 3, in the 21st range. 

&Mr. Peabody, settled on lot No. 2. range 24. He had 10 children, 7 sons and 3 
daughters, only'2 of whom are now living, viz : Huldah, widow of Daniel Perley, 
and Augustus," counselor at law, in Boston. 



23 

tember, 1785. Mr. Peabody cleared and cultivated a good 
farm, which descended to his son, Deacon John Peabody the 2d ; 
and was occupied by him till his decease in May, 1838, when 
it descended to and is now owned by his son, Deacon Israel 
P. Peabody. Deacon John Peabody the 1st, died in 1820, at 
the age of 88. 

Nathaniel Hale, brother of David Hale, came to Bridgton in 
1781, and settled on tlic farm where his son Nathaniel now lives.* 
He was an industrious and frugal man, but was feeble in health, 
in which respect he was less fortunate than his neighbors ; who 
in general were remarkable for health and vigor. He died in 
1831, at the age of 76. ' 

Phineas Ingalls, who came from Andover, in 1781 ,f and 
settled where Capt. Asa Ingalls now lives, was one of the most 
prominent among the early settlers. He was popular with his 
fellow citizens; and, from the time of his settling in Bridgton, 
till past the age of 70, he was more in public office, than any 
other citizen of the town. He was the first Town Treasurer, 
was for many years chairman of the board of Selectmen, was 
the first Representative of the town in the Legislature of Mass., 
was a member of the Convention for framing the Constitution of 
this State, was a member of the first Legislature of Maine, and 
was a member of the first Court of Sessions ; which last office 
he held until removed by age. He was also a Deacon of the 
first Congregational Church. He served in the army of the 
Revolution, and drew a pension of $144, per year. At his 
decease he left a handsome property ; his homestead, consisting 
of about four hundred acres, is one of the best farms in the town. 
He died in Jan. 1844, at the age of 8G.:|: It is worthy of remark. 



* Mr. Hale built on lot No. 2, range 21. 

t rhineas Ingalls settled on lot No. 1, in the 22d range. 

t He had 4 sons and 6 daughters. His first son Aaron, resides in Denmark ; the 
2d Asa, who occupied the homestead, has died since this address was written ; the 
3d Theodore, a physician, resides in Portland ; the 4th Phineas, also a physician, 
resides in Standish. 



24 

that nearly all the early settlers of Bridgton, lived to an ad- 
vanced age. 

James Flint, from Reading, in Massachusetts, ^Yas also among 
the pioneers of the settlement ; but the precise time of his com- 
ing to Bridgton, I have not been able to ascertain : it was, how- 
ever, prior to the year 1780.* lie first located on the west side 
of Crotched Pond,t on the place where William Bennett now fives, 
but after a few years he moved to the east side of the pond, 
and settled on the farm now owned and occupied by Nathan 
Hilton ; where he remained till the time of his death, July -Ith, 
1808. 

These were some of the first — othei-s soon followed (whom 
time will not permit us to notice individually) who were men of 
equal worth ; and whose aid was equally important in subduing 
the wilderness, and promoting the prosperity and improvement 
of the town. J 

For several years the progress of the settlement was much 
retarded by the Revolutionary war ; though not actually molested, 
yet the inhabitants were in constant apprehension of a hostile 
attack by the Indians. Several of the families broke up, and 
removed to Standish, where they remained till the danger was 
past. At one time, in consequence of information being receiv- 
ed that the Indians had attacked the settlement at Bethel, § and 

* Since this address was written, It has been ascertained that Mr, Flint came to 
Bridgton, about 1774 or 5. t On lot Ko. 8, range 6. 

tThe following names may be mentioned as among the principal men who settled in 
Bridgton, between the j'car 1781, and the time of the incorporation of the town, 
1794: John Davenport, Ebenezer Carsley, Ezra Gould, Aaron Beeman, Jedediah 
Kimball, Reuben Ingalls, Jacob Hazen, Abner Dodge, Nathan Dodge, William 
Bennett, Theodore Gibbs, Alpheus Gibbs, Daniel Brigham, Michael AVebb, AVil- 
liam Sears, Samuel Davis, Jonathan Smith, William Morrison, Dudley Perkins, 
Israel Green, 'William Woodbury, John Killborn, Joseph Brocklebank, George 
Mead, John Chaplin, Asa Barker, Dai'.iel Barnard, Nathan Ingalls, Francis Ingalls and 
Asa Ingalls. The three last named were brothers of Isaiah and Phineas Ingalls, and 
settled in the same neighborhood. In the winter of 1806 and 7, there were twenty- 
seven scholars attending school in district No. 1, bearing the name of Ingalls — all 
of one generation — brothers, sisters and cousins. 

§ Bethel was then called Sudbury Canada. 



25 

killed one man, and \Ycrc 'advancing towards Bridgton, the 
alarm became so great, that nearly all the inhabitants deter- 
mined on evacuating the place. Thej had prepared to depart 
by the next boat, "^hen they were relieved from apprehension by 
the intelligence that the enemy had faced about, and were 
returning"! towards Canada. From the close of the war in 1783, 
the settlement advanced more rapidly, and in 1787, the popula- 
tion consisted of thirty-nine famiUes, numbering two hundred 
and fifteen persons. 

The most important location in the town, (or what has since 
become the most important) was selected by William Sears, 
from Beverly, Mass., about the year 1789. Mr. Sears had 
been a sea-captain, and had some property when he came to 
Bridgton. He purchased the lots No's. 6 and 7, in the 13th 
range, including a large portion of the valuable water power on 
Stevens' Brook. No. 6, he gave to his daughter Elizabeth, 
Avho was married to Abner Dodge. A small improvement had 
boen made on No. 7, and a saw-mill built near the outlet of 
Crotched Pond, by Asa Kimball. Capt. Sears purchased this 
mill with the lot, and erected a grist-mill just below it, 
which he tended himself, till near the time of his death. He 
also built on the same lot, a large and well finished house, which 
was kept as a tavern, being the first tavern in the town, except 
that kept by Mr. Kimball, at the head of Long Pond. The 
house is still in good repair, owned by Richard Gage, and kept 
as a tavern by Ebenezer Cram. Capt. Sears had but one son, 
Joseph, who was an intelligent and well educated man ; but in- 
herited little of his father's capacity for business. In a few 
years after his father's death, the property passed into the hands 
of Billy Emerson, of Topsfield, and was sold by him to Richard 
Gage. Prior to the sale to Gage, a number of building lots, 
and several privileges on the stream, had been sold ofi" to differ- 
ent individuals. The lot (No. 7,) is now nearly all cut up into 
small village lots ; and covered with buildings,^ and nearly all 
4 



26 



the water power on the stream, is now occupied by mills, and 
various kinds of manufacturing establishments. 

The year 1789, was distinguished by the settlement of the 
first minister. Rev. Nathan Church, who was a native of South 
Hadley, and received his education at Dartmouth College.* He 
came to Bridgton in 1788 ; and was ordained pastor of the first 
Congregational Church, on the 17th of June, 1789. f Mr. 
Church, though not a fluent speaker, was regarded as a sound 
and learned divine. He was a kind, sympathising and benevo- 
lent man, and was much esteemed and respected by the people 
of his charge. According to the custom of the times, he was 
settled for life, or at least during good behavior. He continued 
in the ministry till the year 1827, when on account of age and 
infirmity, he retired and was succeeded by Rev. Daniel Newell- J 
Mr. Church died in Nov. 1836, at the age of 82. 

At the taking of the first census by the General Government, 
in 1790, the plantation contained a population of 329. — This 
year was marked by the arrival of the first physician in the place. 
Dr. Samuel Farnsworth, who settled on the farm now owned 

* Mr. C's. house stood on lot No. 6, range 14, where Augustus Parley's now 
stands. 

t He had one son, Nathan, who now lives at Naples, and four daughters, only one of 
whom, Miranda, is now living. 

J The pastors of the first Congregational Church have been,Eev. Nathan Church 
from 17S9 to 1S27; Rev. Daniel Newell, from 1827 to 1830; Rev. Caleb F. Page, 
from 1834 to 1850 ; and Rev. Josiah T.IIawes, who was installed in Feb., 1851, and 
is the present pastor. 

The Congregational Church at South Bridgton, has had but one pastor. Rev. Jo- 
Bcph P. Fessendcn, who has preached to that people from the organization of the 
Church, in 1829, to the present time. 

The Congi-egatioual Church at North Bridgton, has had as pastors Rev. Charles 
Soule, from 1833 to 1835 ; Rev. Joseph Searle, from 1837 to 1840 ; and Rev. L. W. 
Harris, from 1842, to the present time. 

The pastors of the Baptist Church, " Have been, Reuben Ball, from 1812, about 
fourteen years ; John Haynes, from 1827, one year ; William Wyman, from 1828, 
three years; Reuben Milner, from 1S32, one year; William 0. Grant, from 1834, 
two years ; L. L. Jordan, from 1836, one year ; Jacob Bray, from 1837, four years ; 
Leander H. Tripp, from 1841, cue year ; and A. B. Pendleton, from 1649, to the 
present time." 



21 

and occupied bj George Dodge.* Dr. Farnsworthf was a native 
of Groton, Mass. His professional education was quite limited, 
but his good judgment, and quick perception, supplied in a good 
degree this dej&ciency. He did an extensive business ; and 
became eminent in his profession, especially as a surgeon. As 
a citizen, he was active and pubHc-spirited ; and was always 
foremost in whatever tended to the improvement of society, and 
the promotion of the best interests of the community in which 
he lived. He died, much lamented,in 1817, at the age of 50. % 

At the time of the incorporation of the town (in 1791) the 
population consisted of eighty-eight families, numbering 471 
inhabitants. Few towns have been so fortunate in the character 

* On lot 3S:o. 6, range 16. 

t Dr. Farnsworth had ti large family of children, only 2 of whom are now living, 
viz : Caroline wife of George Pierce, and Sybel Ann, wife of Solomon Andrews. 

X Dr. Samuel Farnsworth, 2d., a native of Bridgton, son of Dr. Famsworth the 
first, located at North Bridgton in 181G, where he remained till his decease, in 1S42 
with the exception of a few years, during which he resided in Portland. He was a 
well educated, and a skillful physician ; and though his attention was directed par- 
tially to other pursuits, he continued to practice to some extent, till near the time 
of his death.— Dr. Theodore lugalls, also a native of Bridgton, son of Phineas Ingalls 
located at his father's in South Bridgton, in March, 1817. In November of the same 
year, on the death of Dr. Farnsworth, he moved to Bridgton Centre, where he did 
an extensive professional business, till the year 1829, when he retired from general 
practice, and for a number of years direeted his attention mostly to other pursuits. 
In 1848, he removed to Portland, where he has resumed the practice of medicine. — 
In 1818, Dr. Jona. Fessenden, from Fryeburg, located as a physicihu at So. Bridgton, 
where he still resides. He did a good professional business till 1839, since which 
time he has been unable to practice, on account of ill health. — Dr. Moses Gould, a 
native of Bridgton, son of Ezra Gould, located as a physician at North Bridgton, in 
1827, and still resides in that village ; but for several years he has given but little 
attention to professional pursiiits, and has now mostly retired from practice. — Dr. 
Nathaniel Pease, from Parsousfield, came to Bridgton Centre, in 1S2S, since which 
time, with the exceptipn of a few yeai-s, he has given his attention mostly to his 
profession ; and when in practice, he has always had his full share of the business of 
the place. — Dr. Thomas F. Perley, a native of Bridgton, son of Thomas Perley, and 
grand-son of Enoch Perley, commenced practice at Bridgton Centre, in 1841, and 
did an extensive professional business till the latter part of the year 1851 ; when he 
left Bridgton, and was succeeded by Dr. Josiah il. Blake. Several other physicians 
have at different times located in Bridgton ; but none of them have practiced to any 
considerable extent, and few of them have remained long in the town. 



28 

of their early settlers as this. The first inhabitants of Bridgton 
were extraordinary men — unlike the usual pioneers -vrho go 
into the woods^but to prepare the way for a better class ; and as 
civilization advances retire still farther into the forest, and still 
lead a border life — they came here to establish for themselves a 
HOME ; and to provide for the physical, intellectual and religious 
vrants of the community, that should spring up around them : 
hence as the forest disappeared before their strong arms, the 
comfortable dwelling, the school house, and the church, rose in 
its place. They were generally intelligent, moral and religious ; 
and possessing great powers of endurance, they were pecuharly 
qualified to lead the way in a new settlement. They were a 
set of men who for firmness of nerve, energy of action and 
perseverence in overcoming the obstacles to be encountered in 
the settlement of a new country, have seldom been cfjuallcd, and 
perhaps never surpassed. Such they were — but they are 
gone. Let the grave cover their faults, but let a grateful pos- 
terity ever cherish their memory ; and by imitating their virtu- 
ous deeds, prove themselves not the unworthy descendants of 
such an ancestry. 

Bridgton was incorporated as a town, Feb. 7th, 1794. The 
first town-meeting was held on the 18th of March, of the same 
year. Enoch Perley,' was chosen Moderator ; Isaiah Ingalls, 
Town Clerk ; Phineas Ingalls, Treasurer ; Robert Andrews, 
James Flint and Joseph Sears, Selectmen ; Samuel Famsworth, 
EnocW Perley and Joseph Sears, School-Committee ; Samuel 
Kimball, Ephraim Jewett and David Hale, Field-Drivers ; James 
FUnt, Samuel Farnsworth and David Hale, Ty thing-men ; Wil- 
liam Oliver and Timothy Gates, Deer-reeves ; and Reuben 
Ingalls Samuel Davis and Asacl Foster, Hog-reeves. For that 
year the town raised the sum of <£100, for the repair of high- 
ways ; XoO, to defray town charges, and <£18, for the support 
of Schools. The town was then divided into four School Dis- 



29 

tiicts, designated a3 the Northerly, the Westerly, the Middle 
and the Southerly Districts. 

In April, 1797, the town received from the proprietors, the 
public meeting-house, then in an unfinished state ; and contract- 
ed with Dr. Samuel Farnsworth and Joseph Sears, to finish the 
building by the first of January, 1798. Pursuant to this contract 
the house was finished, and served th% two-fold purpose of a 
Church and Town-house, till the erection of a new church by the 
First Parish, in 1834 ; and, though much dilapidated, it contin- 
ued to be used as a Town-house till the spring of 1851 — sixty- 
one years from the time when it was built. The old house is 
still standing, somewhat shattered, yet venerable on account of 
the sacred purpose to W'hich it was dedicated, and the associa- 
tions which cluster around it. As wc pass by it, the mind invol- 
untarily reverts to the time of its erection, and we call up in 
review a long line of those worthy men who laid its foundation, 
and worshipped there the God who had protected and sustained 
them through all the dangers, hardships and privations, incident 
to the settlement of a new town. 

In March, 1851, the old house being deemed no longer fit for 
public use, arrangements were made for building a new Town- 
house to supply its place. Moses Gould, John Kilborn, Luke 
Brown, Horace Bilfings, William T. Kilborn, Rensellaer Cram 
and John P. Perley, were chosen a committee to contract with 
some suitable person or persons for building the house ; and to 
superintend the work. The contract for the wood-work of the 
building, was taken by Benjamin Walker and William T. Kil- 
born ; that for the stone-work, by Samuel Riggs and Edward R. 
Morse. Of the manner m which the committee and the builders 
have discharged the duties respectively devolving on them, it is 
not necessary for me to speak. Their work is before us, it may 
speak for itself. A single glance is sufficient to show its con- 
venience, and perfect adaptation to the uses for which it is in- 
tended. 



30 

The purposes for Avhich this building has been erected, and to 
which it is now dedicated, are of the highest importance. In a 
government like ours, all power is theoretically vested in the 
people, and is primarily exercised at the ballot-box. That the 
theory of our government may be carried fully into practice, 
it is essential, not only that the right of suffrage be general or 
universal, but also that its exercise be free ; that when the cit- 
izen deposites his vote, it shall convey the expression of his own 
free will. The ballot is the lever that moves the whole machinery 
of our government ; and upon a judicious exercise of this power, 
depends the continuance of our liberties, and the perpetuity of 
our free institutions. To secure an intelligent exercise of this 
power, which, by the constitution of our country, has been wisely 
placed in their hands ; let the people be enlightened, — let them 
be instructed in the principles and practical operations of our 
government, — let them understand the potency of the instru- 
ment which they wield ; and the responsibility of the trust with 
which they are invested ; and when hereafter the citizens of this 
town shall assemble within these walls for the transaction of pub- 
lic business, as they deposite their ballots at this desk, let them 
act with that intelligence which foresees, not merely the direct, 
but even the remote results arising from their action ; and let 
the measures which from time to time they shall here adopt be 
characterized by justice, impartiality, and a due regard for the 
general good. 

From the time of its incorporation, the town steadily increased 
in wealth and population till 1805, when that part of her terri- 
tory lying on the easterly side of Long Pond, containing about 
8500 acres, was taken off to form in part the new town of Har- 
rison. Again in 1834, a portion of the southeast corner of the 
town, containing about 2500 acres, with some of the best citi- 
zens, was taken off to form a part of the new town of Naples.* 
Thus robbed of her just proportions on the south and on the 
* The present area of the town is about 30,000 acres, or about 47 square miles. 



31 

east, in 1847, taking a hint from the general government, she 
stretched out towards the west ; and by annexation, acquired 
from the towns of Fryeburg and Denmark, a tract of territory 
containing about 3700 acres, now known by the name of Texas. 

The population in 1790, was 329 ; in 1800, 646 ; in 1810, 
882; in 1820, 1166 ; in 1830, 1451 ; in 1840, 1987, and in 
1850, 2710 ; showing that the town has advanced from the 
smallest beginning, to its present condition, by a steady and 
healthy growth. At this time it contains about 2800 inhabi- 
tants, 530 legal voters, 1150 scholars between the ages of four 
and twenty-one years. 

The pro^^sion made for the education of children and youth, 
consists of twenty-one public schools, in operation on an average 
about one half the time ; and supported (in 1851) at an ex- 
pense of $1709,48,* and also an Academy, established in 1808,f 
now in a flourishing condition, employing three permanent 
teachers, and giving instruction during the last year to 345 stu- 
dents. There are also private schools kept in diiferent parts of 
the town, a considerable part of each year. 

The religious associations are, first a Congi'egational Church, 
at Bridgton Centre, which was organized in 1784, and consisted 
at its formation of seventeen members — ten males, and seven 
females ; second, a Baptist Church formed in 1807, consisting 
at the time of its organization, of eight members — four males, 

* Of this amount, $1500 was raised by the town, $65 was derived from interest 
of the town school-fund and $144,28, from the State school-fund and the Banls tax. 

The School lands consisting of lot No. 10, range 4, lots No. 5 and 6, range 3 in the 
first Division, and lot No. 8, range 4 in the second Division, were sold June 18, 1798, 
for the sum of $1027,33, which was invested as a fund for the support of schools 
The present amount of the school-fund is $1028,32. 

tThis Academy was incorporated March 8, 1808, by the Legislature of Massachu- 
setts ; and received a grant of one half township of land, now the town of Jlaxficld, 
in the county of Penobscot. A portion of this land has been sold, and the proceeds 
invested in notes, and other securities. The present amount of the funds of the Insti- 
tution is about $8500. The school was kept till 1827, in the Masonic Hall, owned by 
Mr. Samuel Andrews. The present Academy building was erected in 1825, 
and first occupied in 1827. 



32 

and four females ; tlilrcl, a Congregational Church, at South 
Brklgton, ■vyliich was organized m 1829 ; fourth, a Free "Will 
Baptist Church, formed in 1830, the members of which reside 
in aifferent parts of the town, but have their place of public 
worship at Pinliook ; fifth, a Congregational Church, at North 
Bridgton, which was established in 1832 ; sixth, a Universalist 
Church, at Bridgton Centre, organized in 1840 ; there is also a 
very respectable number of Methodists, but they have no organ- 
ized society within the limits of tliis town.* 

The public buildings are, the Baptist meeting-house, at the 
Centre, built in 1815, and enlarged and furnished with a bell, 
in 1830 ; the Academy at North Bridgton, built in 1825, and 
enlarged in 1819 ; the Congregational meeting-house, at South 
Bridgton, built in 182G ; the Congregational meeting-house, at 
North Bridgton ; the Congregational meeting-house at Bridgton 
Centre, and the Free Will Baptist meeting-house, at Pinliook ; 
all built in 1834 ; the Universalist meeting-house, at the Centre, 
built in 1839 ; and the ToAvn-house, in which wc ai-e now assem 
bled, built in 1851. 

The town at this time contains two Taverns, eight Dry-goods 
and Grocery Stores, two Stove and Tin-plate Stores, nine Saw- 
mills, six Grist mills, three extensive Tanneries, two large Car- 
riage manufactories, several other manufacturing establishments 
of considerable importance ; an ample supply of mechanics of 

* The Congi-egational Society at Bridgton Centre, has a fuud of $2800, the inter 
est of which is expended for the support of the ministry. One thousand dollars of 
this sum ■yras a donation from Lieut. liobt. Andrews, and the remainder arose from 
the sale of the ministerial lands, consisting of lots Ko. 6, range 15, No. 1, range 28, No- 
li range 29 in the first Division, and No. 23, range 1, in the second Division, which 
were sold April 29, 1799. 

There is also a fund in the hands of Trustees, amounting to §5000, the interest of 
which is applied to the support of a Preache rat South Bridgton. $3355 of this fund, 
was contributed by Enoch Perley, Esq., one thousand dollars by Lieut. Robert An- 
drews, and the remaining six hundred and forty-five dollars, by Thos. Perley, Esq., 
of Boxford, Mass., who was one of the proprietors of this town. 

la the other religious societies, the ministry is supported altogether by the volun 
tary contributions of individuals. 



33 



the various trades required by the wants of the community, and 
personal and real estate valued (by the Assessors) in 1851, 
at $563,027. 

And the question naturally arises — Whence comes this pros- 
perity ? No doubt it may be attributed to the character and 
enterprise of the present inhabitants ; but what influences have 
operated to form that character, and to stimulate that enterprise ? 
As the present prosperous condition of New England is ascribed 
to the character of the Pilgrim Fathers, and to the results 
growing out of the institutions which they established ; so may 
the germ of the present prosperity of this toTNH, be found in the 
character of its early inhabitants, in their examples of industry 
and economy, and the principles of morality and religion which 
they inculcated — what we now enjoy, is but the ripe growth of 
the seed which they scattered ; and we may hope for a continu- 
ance of this prosperity, only by imitating the virtues of those 
who have gone before us, by fostering the institutions of learn- 
ing and rehgion, disseminating knowledge, promoting temperance 
and morality in the community ; and cultivating and developing' 
the physical resources which a kind Providence has placed within 
our reacli. INIay the present generation make a wise improve- 
ment of the rich inheritance they have received from their 
fathers ; and transmit it unimpaired to posterity ; and may 
Bridgton, henceforward hold that high rank among her 
sister towns, which the present enterprise of her citizens promi- 
ises, and which a full development of her resoui'ces cannot fail 
to secure. 



APPENDIX. 



A List of the Inhabitants of Bridgton, taken by Enoch 
Perley, December 31, 1787. 

Heads of the Families. — The ages of the males. — The ages of the females. 



Andrews Robert, 


35 






45 4 




Bui-nham Simeon, 


48 18 


16 


13 


43 8 


3 


Burnhara Jeremiah, 


28 1 






21 2 




Beeman Noah, 


28 25 


5 


8 


30 4 


1 


Davenport John, 


54 26 


24 




55 




Clark David, 


39 










Emerson William, 


39 18 


16 


14 12 


36 10 


5 


Emerson Theodore, 


30 19 


1 




36 4 


2 


Foster Asael, 


38 14 


12 


3 1 


39 12 


10 


Flint James, 


38 










Gates Stephen, 


44 14 


10 


8 


43 15 


5 


Gates Timothy, 


40 9 


4 


2 


35 1 




Hale David, 


38 6 


1 




38 7 




Hale Nathaniel, 


32 7 






31 5 


2 


How Moses, 


33 6 


1 




33 8 




Ingalls Isaiah, 


32 3 


1 




26 6 




Ingalls Phineas, 


29 3 


1 




23 




Johnson Stephen, 


41 9 


1 




39 17 


7 


Kimball Samuel, 


27 14 






27 4 


1 


Kimball Richard, 


24 1 






20 3 




Kimball Benjamin, 


53 15 






50 29 


9 


Kimball Benj. Jr., 


31 1 






30 4 


3 


Knapp Jesse, 


60 23 


16 




50 19 





6 4 



36 

Kimball Asa, 49 20 17 15 13 49 11 9 

Mead George, 39 13 9 39 2 

Oliver William, 44 14 60 

Peabody John, 55 21 19 17 8 6 1 46 23 

Porter David, 38 14 1 35 15 6 

Porter David, Jr., 25 3 1 22 

Perley Daniel, 34 26 1 

Perley Enoch, 38 17 9 4 34 20 9 1 

Stiles Enoch, 42 32 

Stiles Noah, 42 15 8 35 4 

Stiles Ezra, 37 23 4 1 

Stevens Jacob, 62 9 18 16 14 

Stevens Jacob, Jr., 32 33 28 1 

Stevens James, 38 13 1 31 10 5 

Symonds Thomas, 26 25 26 1 

Jewett Ephraim, 39 14 12 34 15 13 9 7 1 

Without Families. 

Kneeland Abraham, 23 

Burnham Abraham, 22 

Burnham Nathaniel, 18 

Burnham William, 75 

Burnham E., 25 

Foster F., 18 

Kneeland S., 20 
Masters widow, 70 



37 



A List of the Inhabitants of Bridgton, taken at the 
time of the incorporation of the town ( 1 794) by Dr. 
Samuel Farnsworth, 



Heads of Families. 


No. of 
males. 


No. of 
females. 


No. of 
Males. 


No. of 
feinalei 


Asa Ingalls, 


1 


3 


Jacob Stevens, Jr., 


5 


4 


Francis Ingalls, 


3 


3 


David Clark, 


2 


3 


David Hale, 


3 


4 


Samuel Ingalls, 


5 


2 


Robert Andrews, 


3 


1 


Abner Davenport, 


3 


2 


Daniel Perley, 


3 


4 


Enoch Stiles, 


2 


5 


Daniel Barnard, 


2 


3 


Jed'h & Jacob Kimball, 2 


1 


Nathan Ingalls, 


5 


3 


Noah Stiles, 


4 


3 


Nathaniel Hale, 


3 


6 


Stephen Gates, 


6 


3 


Asa Barker, 


7 


4 


Daniel Brigham, 


3 


2 


Nathan Smith, 


1 


1 


Alpheus Gibbs, 


3 


2 


John Peabody, 


7 


3 


James Webb, 


4 


3 


John Peabody, Jr., 


2 


1 


Theodore Gibbs, 


2 


2 


Enoch Perley, 


6 


4* 


Ezra Gibbs, 


4 


1 


Asael Foster, 


5 


5 


Ezra Gould, 


3 


2 


William Daniels, 


2 


o 


Aaron Beeman, 


2 


4 


John Chaplin, 


9 


1 


Rufus Carter, 


1 




George Mead, 


2 


2 


Benjamin Kimball, 


4 


3 


Isaiah Ingalls, 


5 


3 


John Davenport, 


1 


1 


Phineas Ingalls, 


4 


3 


Samuel Kimball, 


1 


5 


Benjamin Sanborn, 


1 




Eliphalet Watson, 


2 


3 


Moses Hale, 


1 




James Watson, 


2 


4 


David Kneeland, 


2 


2 


John Carsley, 


2 


2 


James Flint, 


4 


3 


Ebenezer Carsley, 


1 


1 


William Bennett, 


2 


1 


Reuben Ingalls, 


1 




Jacob Smith, 


2 


2 


Ellas Whitney, 


3 




Michael Webb, 


3 


3 


Nathaniel Jacobs, 


2 


2 


David Potter, 


2 


2 


Dudley Perkins, 


1 


1 


Isaac Johnson, 


2 


4 


Israel Green, 


4 


5 


David Bradstreet, 


2 


1 


Javan Knapp, 


1 


4 


Nathan Dodge, 


2 


3 


Rev. Nathan Church, 


3 


4 



38 



Joshua Whitney, 2 

William Sears, 3 

Abner Dodge, 6 

Samuel Davis, 1 

Jonathan Smith, 3 

Abraham Kneeland, 3 

Nathaniel Burnham, 1 

Simeon Burnham, 4 

David Porter, 3 

Jacob Hazen, 1 

Israel Kimball, 2 

William Hazen, 1 

William Morrison, 4 

William Oliver, 1 

William Oliver, Jr., 2 



5 Jesse Knapp, 1 2 

3 Joash Knapp, 2 1 

4 Jas. Stevens & father, 6 4 
2 William Woodbury, 5 2 

2 John Sanborn, 1 1 
1 John Kilborn, 6 3 
1 Joseph Brocklebank, 3 2 
4 Samuel Farns worth, 3 2 

3 Widow Burnham, 2 
William Emerson, 4 7 

1 James Emerson, 1 2 

1 Theodore Emerson, 4 3 

7 Widow Masters, 1 

1 Total, ... 243 223 



* 1 Black. 



89 



The following is a " Summary of the valuation of the Lands 
and Dwelling Houses," in Bridgton, taken " pursuant to an Act of 
the United States, passed on the ninth day of July, in the year of 
our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety-Eight, enti- 
tled " An Act to provide for the Valuation of Lands and Dwelling 
Houses, and the Enumeration of Slaves, within the United States," 
by Enoch Perley, Esq., " Assistant Assessor in the Seventh Assess- 
ment District, in the Second Division of the State of Massachu- 
setts." ^ 







Acres of Land 


Acres of Land 




Houses. 


Value. 


exempted. 


valued. 


Value in Doll: 


3 


210 




090 


2952 


2 


100 




2555 


4098 


7 


420 




1972 


8879 


6 


285 




1895 


6299 


8 


280 




2760 


6412 


3 


180 




2039 


8366 


3 


190 


200 


3160 


6859 


6 


2S0 




5370 


6201 


2 


110 




444 


2124 


5 


185 




4402 


7872 


1 


10 


90 


4978 


8005 


3 


140 


300 


2582 


3504 


4 


270 




756 


4400 


__ 











53 2660 590 33,603 75,971 

Houses valued at more than $100 each, 31, 6267 



Total, S82,233 

* Mr. Perley's commission was dated Nov, 7, 1798 — and this valuation is supposed to 
have been taken in 1799. 



40 

Proceedings of the meeting held on the 8ih day of Jan- 
uary, 1 852, at the neiu Town House in Bridgton, for 
the dedication of said House. 

The raeeting was called to order by Doct. Moses Gould, Chair- 
man, of the Building Committee. The house was nearly filled 
with inhabitants of the town, with some persons from other towns. 
Nearly one half of the audience were ladies. 

A numerous band of singers were assembled in the gallery. 
Several musical instruments were at hand. 

Music by the Choir — America. 

On motion by Dr. Gould, Nathaniel S. Littlefield, was 
chosen President of the meeting, who, on assuming the chair, 
briefly stated the objects of the meeting, as follows : 

F'ricnds and Felloio CitizenSy — and lest I should be suspected of 
being wanting in gallantry, I will also say. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, — The occasion which has brought us 
together is an interesting one, and I sensibly feel the compliment 
paid me by being selected by the committee, with the sanction of 
the audience, to preside over the meeting. If I do not perform the 
duties devolving on me as well as may be expected, I will do as 
well as I can, asking you to cast the mantle of charity over all 
imperfections and errors. 

Our meeting was intended to have been held on the first day of 
the new year, that day being deemed appropriate to the occasion. 
In consequence of the severity of the weather, a postponement 
took place, 'till this day. And without any calculation on the part 
of those who advised to postpone till to-day, (as far as I know) we 
happen to meet on the anniversary of one of the most glorious days 
in the history of our country. On the 8th of January, 1815, Thirty- 
seven years ago to-day, the Battle of New Orleans was fought : 
the result of which led to the close of the last war with Great 
Britain. On that day, the British Lion was so severely whipped 
by the American Eagle, that all doubt of the ability of the United 



41 

States to maintain their rights against the assaults of the British 
Nation were removed, and led to the honorable peace which imme- 
diately followed. Perhaps no day except the 4th of July, is so 
worthy of celebration by the American people, as the 8th of January. 

The object of our assembling to-day, is to dedicate to the uses 
for which it is intended, the substantial, commodious and beautiful 
building, which now slielters us. The committee who have super- 
intended its erection, having, as I believe, faithfully performed their 
duty, having accepted the House from the hands of the contractors, 
who I also believe, have faithfully performed their contract, have 
called us together on this interesting day, for the purpose of its 
dedication. The practice of dedicating public buildings, was for- 
merly confined exclusively to those intended for Religious worship ; 
but latterly has been extended to those intended for other public 
uses. It is a good practice, and I should be glad to see it still further 
extended. The good old fashion of house-warmings, so common in 
the early days of our fathers and mothers, but now so generally 
fallen into disuse, I should be glad to see revived. 

You will, I know, pardon me for alluding to the fact, that the 
inhabitants of the town were not unanimous on the question of 
building this House. No one denied but that we needed a town 
House ; but many good men thought that we could get along a few 
years longer with the old one. 

If we wear out our boots and coats, as near as we wore out that 
old town house, I do not think we shall be accused of prodigality 
if we then throw them away. I revere the old house, and should 
be willing to say, « peace to its ashes." 

A respectable majority was found to be in favor of the erection 

of the new house, and I have no doubt, but that those who opposed 

it, wlien we come to occupy it, and compare the comfort of doing 

business here, to that in the old house, will be glad it has been 

erected. Our records are now safe, and our town officers have now 

comfortable rooms in which to transact the town business — and in 

March next, those who assemble here, will see and feel how cora- 

fortabie it will be to have our town meeting in a spacious, coramo- 
6 



42 

dious and well warmed room. We have reason to be proud of this 
House. I do not know of another so good in the whole State. Our 
town stands high among her sister towns in the State, in point of 
respectability, wealth and enterprise. No Bridgton man, need hesi- 
tate to say where he belongs. He may disgrace his town, but bis 
town will not disgrace him. I am always proud wherever I go, to put 
"Bridgton" against my name, as my place of residence, and to say, I 
hail from there. In addition to all the advantages I have heretofore 
claimed for Bridgton, I intend hereafter to claim, thft we have the 
best town House in the State. 

The fear of trespassing on the ground assigned to another, and 
which I doubt not will be well occupied, will prevent a further 
extension of remarks from me on this occasion. Permit me only 
to add, that we all meet to-day on common ground, in our own house, 
under our own vine and fig-tree, all with equal rights. We throw 
aside for this day at least, all our differences of opinion, on political, 
religious and all other subjects, on which we chance to differ. All 
the jarring elements of discord are hushed to quiet and repose. We 
meet as citizens of the town of Bridgton, without distinction of sect 
or party, all interested for the common good, and all equally interest- 
ed in the occasion which has called us together, .and happy to see 
with us a few friends from neighboring towns — and while we rever- 
ence the memory of those who have gone before us, and who have 
paved the way for the comforts and luxuries we enjoy, may we not 
be unmindful of the Great Author of all Good, who has caused our 
lines to fall in such pleasant places. 

On suggestion by the President — Voted, to choose three Vice 
Presidents. 

And accordingly Theodore Gibbs, Davis Stiles and James 
Libbey, were chosen. 

On invitation b}- the President — the Vice Presidents, the Ora- 
tor of the day, and all of tlie Clergymen the town who were 
present took seats in the desk. 

Pi-ayer by Rev. Mr. Hawes. 

Music by the Choir — ^Pilgrim Fathers,' 

Address by Hon. Marshall Cram. 



43 



Music by the Choir - ORIGINAL SONG. 

Should clays of yore e'er be forgot, 

And scenes of olden time ? 
Our sires, should they be e'er forgot, 

Who early sought this clime ? 
Then sing aloud those days of yore, 

And scenes of olden time. 
And we'll sing the toils those heroes bore 

Who early sought this clime. 

The savage, and wild beasts of prey 

Reigned monarchs of the gloom, 
Unbroken shade obscured the day 

In this their forest home. 
Then sing aloud those da^rs of yore 

And scenes of olden time. 
And we'll sing the toils those heroes bore, 

Who braved this wild-wood clime. 

The woodman's axe — the camp-fires' glow, 

Proclaimed their advent here, 
Midst drenching rain and driving show, 

They songs of icelcome hear. 
Then sing aloud those days of yore 

And scenes of olden time, 
And we'll sing of songs once sung before 

To those who sought this clime. 

Whence came those songs, borne on the air 

Midst primal wildness found ? — 
From howl of wolf, and growl of bear, 

And tempest's raging sound. 
Then sing aloud those days of yore 

And scenes of olden time ; 
And we'll sing of songs once sung before, 

To those who sought this clime. 

What sought they here — those wand'rers brave, 

That made them hither roam ? 
They sought themselves a peaceful grave, 

And us, our happy home. 
Then sing aloud those days of yore 

And scenes of olden time, 
And we'll sing those heroes, now no more. 

Who early sought this clim«. 



/ fa 44 



Lo ! cultured fields and household fires, 

Unnumbered greet our eyes, 
And happy homes and village spires, 

In beauteous landscape rise, 
Then -while we meet in cheerful throng, 

Or feast on plenty's store. 
We'll sing with heart-felt, grateful song 

Of men and days of yore. 

On motion by Sewall C. Strout, Esq., 

Voted — That the thanks of the meeting be tendered to Hon 
Marshall Cram, for his able and interesting address. 

On motion by Doct. Nathaniel Pease, 

Voted — That the Selectmen of the town, be a committee to 
request of Hon. Marshall Cram, a copy of his address to be depos- 
ited with the records of the town, and that said Selectmen be 
requested to insert in the warrant calling the next annual meeting, 
an article, to see if the town will make provision for printing ^ 
sufficient number of copies of said Address, to supply each legal 
voter in town with a copy. And that said committee report to the 
town the probable expense of such printing. 

Music by the Choir — Ode on Science. 

On motion by Rensallaer Cram, Esq., 

Voted — That the thanks of the meeting be tendered to the 
Choir, for their valuable and interesting performances. 

A vote of thanks to the Officers of the meeting, was passed. 

The Benediction was pronounced by Rev. Mr. Harris, and 
thereupon, the meeting was adjourned without day. 

BUILDING COMMITTEE. 

MOSES GOULD, JOHN P. PERLEY, 

LUKE BROWN, RENSALLAER CRAM, 

JOHN KILBORN, WILLLVM T. KILBORN. 
HORACE BILLINGS. 



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